358 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



No. 2. 

 v , . , , ( Weight 850 lbs. 



* J 1 ^' > Hay eaten 298 lbs. 



( Gain in weight 17 lbs. 



Weight 807 lbs. 

 Hay eaten 308 lbs. 

 Gain in weight 17 lbs. 



Weight 884 lbs. 

 Hay eaten 288 lbs. ■ 

 Gain 10 lbs. 



First 2 weeks, 



Cut hay, 

 Second 2 weeks, 



Long hay, 

 Third 2 weeks, 



n n, ( Weight 900 lbs. 



Cut hay, 1 n eateQ 252 lbg> 



fourth 2 weeks, ) r , - J • • ,. n ,, 



' ( Gain in weight 9 lbs. 



Gain during the trial 59 lbs. 



During the third week of trial, No. 1 was acci- 

 dentally hooked by another animal in the abdomen, 

 which I think must have caused her pain, and she 

 did not do as well perhaps as she otherwise would 

 have done. No. 2, during the last week of trial, 

 did not appear to have so good an appetite as 

 usual; the hay was a little finer, and when cut, 

 she did not relish it as well. The hay used was a 

 mixture of Timothy and Red Top, about equal. — 

 The animals were kept in the barn all the time, 

 (excepting being turned out to water twice a day,) 

 at a temperature averaging 41 degrees. The tur- 

 nips were fed to them in common with my other 

 cattle in the morning. The cows are not fat, but 

 in what would be called very decent order. The 

 time of weighing was in the morning, and before 

 they had drank. Changing the cows from poor to 

 good hay will account perhaps for their consuming 

 more hay, and gaining more in weight during the 

 first period of trial than afterwards. The hay was 

 weighed and the animals fed by myself, and I have 

 endeavored to be as accurate as possible. 



Charles B. Demoxd. 



Grafton, March 2, 1852. 



STATEMENT OF H.vRVEV DODGE. 

 To Hon. John W. Lincoln, Chairman of Com. on Feeding: 



Sir: — The two animals on which I have been 

 experimenting for eight weeks during the last win- 

 ter, and on which your premium is claimed, are a 

 pair of half-blood North Devon steers, two years 

 old past, or three years coming, dark red color, 

 well built, and very similar in all respects to each 

 other. From 10 to 35 lbs. in weight is the great- 

 est difference in the two, at any time, for four 

 months past. No difference in keeping has been 

 permitted, at any time, to grow one faster than 

 the other. They came from the pasture the first 

 of winter in good condition, and were fed on good 

 hay, corn fodder, and half a bushel of flat turnips 

 per day, to the 4th of January. They were then 

 put into a close stable by themselves, one tied 

 eight feet from the other ; boxes or close cribs 

 were so fixed that it was impossible for them to 

 waste their own, or get each other's food. Water 

 was given them in the stable, and they were not 

 permitted to go out of the stable except to be 

 weighed once in two weeks, and one (Jay for ivork, 

 and this was during the first week of my experi- 

 ment, and will show, conclusively to my mind, why 

 they fell off in weight during the first two weeks. 

 They had been unaccustomed to the yoke and con- 

 finement in the stable, and being very ambitious, 

 worked beyond their strength and evidently did 

 not recover themselves before the end of the f'rst 



two weeks. Their food was regularly given them 

 at 8 o'clock in the morning, and 4 in the after- 

 noon, and feeding was permitted after the first 

 week only at these two stated times. After the 

 first week, water was given but once a day, (at 

 noon;) though repeatedly offered at other times, 

 it was generally refused after the first week. A 

 full bucket of water was weighed and the number 

 minuted, and the fractions weighed back and mi- 

 nuted, and an average taken at the end of each 

 two weeks ; a thermometer was kept during the 

 eight weeks, centre ways between where the steers 

 were tied, in a box for the purpose fastened to the 

 scaffold floor, and consulted at 8 and 4 o'clock, 

 (feeding time,) the degrees minuted and an aver- 

 age taken at the end of each two weeks, being 

 weighing day. The quality of hay was an average 

 of what is cut on my farm, — about equal portions 

 of herdsgrass and red top, with a small quantity 

 of clover mixed. A half-bucket of water was 

 sprinkled on to their hay, both cut and uncut, af- 

 ter being put into their crib, and the meal sifted 

 on to the wet hay at each feeding, (morning and 

 evening,) which feed was generally consumed be- 

 fore the next feeding time ; if not all consumed, a 

 less quantity was placed in the box for the next 

 meal, though they experienced no want of more 

 food at any time during the trial than what they 

 received ; in short, they had enough and no more. 

 The nigh steer would have preferred long or uncut 

 hay to cut, while the off steer seemed to prefer cut 

 feed from the very commencement, and so contin- 

 ued through the different times he was on this 

 feed; and this circumstance accounts conclusively 

 to my mind why the off steer took on a greater 

 share of weight during the times he was on cut 

 feed ; and the nigh steer made his greatest weight 

 >n long feed, (owing to his disrelish for cut feed, 

 neither being accustomed to cut feed before this 

 experiment,) though I have no doubt but what he 

 would have become as fond of cut feed as the off 

 one in a short time, as most all animals do prefer 

 cut to uncut, after being accustomed to it. 1 give 

 below a statement of the different experiments, 

 which were made with great care, and recorded at 

 the time. 



Experiment No. 1, commenced Jan. 3, 18-V2. 



Jan. 3. Nigh steer weighed 1075 lbs., cut hay 

 194 lbs. and 2 qts. of corn meal per day, making 

 28 qts. for 14 days. Temperature average past two 

 weeks 28 degrees above. 



Off steer weighed 1080 lbs. Long hay consumed 

 222 lbs., and 2 qts. of corn meal per day. For the 

 last two weeks average temperature 28 cleg, above ; 

 water drank by the pair after returning from weigh- 

 ing, 00 lbs.; average for the two, 70 lbs. per day 

 during the trial. 



Experiment No. 2, commenced Jan. 17, 1852. 



Jan. 17. Nigh steer weighed 1005 lbs.; con- 

 sumed 215 lbs. of hay uncut, 2 qts. of meal per 

 day for the last two weeks ; temp. 18 deg. 



Off steer weighed 1050 lbs.; cut hay 215 lbs., 

 meal 2 qts. per day; temp. 18 deg.; the two steers 

 drank after weighing 93 lbs. water ; average wa- 

 ter for 14 days, 74 lbs. per day. 



Experiment No. 3, commenced Jan. 81, 1852. 



Jan. 31. Nigh steer weighed 1090 lbs.; cut hay 

 253 lbs., 2 qts. meal per day ; temperature 32 de- 

 grees for the last two weeks. 



